On Dawn in the Distance, Wells’ voice still packs a Kentucky-sized punch, but his solo debut takes a look beyond the Southern stomp of his former band. Call the new sound Americana. Call it blue-collar country. Call it fiery folk. While recording the album, Wells was simply concerned with serving the songs, teaming up with producer Duane Lundy (Sunday Valley, Joe Pug, Vandaveer) and creating Wells’ most affecting album to date. Songs like “Going Down Grinnin’” (which Wells describes as “embracing failure with a smile”) and “Three Quarters Gone” (inspired by the retirement of the singer’s father) are layered with pedal steel guitar, auxiliary percussion, and keys.  On the album’s front cover, a beat-up suitcase sits beside a door. For years, that suitcase carried Fifth on the Floor’s merchandise. Now, it serves a different purpose, connecting Wells’ past with his next destination. He’s still traveling, still writing songs, still spending long evenings behind the wheel. He’s just pointed at a different horizon.

Adam Lee’s newest release, The Wilderness Years, tells stories of struggle, frustration, and eventual perseverance. Recorded at The Lexington Recording Co. with Duane Lundy (Ringo Starr, Joe Pug, Horse Feathers) the EP offers up a shimmering cinematic landscape and finds Lee penning some of his best songs to date.  Nearly five years since his solo debut, Adam Lee opens his newest effort by telling us where he’s been. The title track touches on the hubris of youth and the power of hindsight before pushing forward to a dark and driving refrain, “I thought I knew then I stumbled into the wilderness years.”  For fans of Springsteen, Joe Pug, and John Moreland, The Wilderness Years offers a dark, tender, and sometimes chilling look at what it means to strike out on your own. With its five sweeping songs, Adam Lee also shows us the rewards to be reaped from doing so.  The Wilderness Years is available everywhere August 27th, 2021.